Decision Notice

Decision 14/2019: Department of Health

Day care centres and child care provider records: failure to decide within
statutory timeframes

Reference no: 20190312-01 & 20190312-02

Decision date: 10 June 2019
 Summary

The Department of Health (Department) issued an initial decision on a Public Access to

Information (PATI) request made on 23 February 2016, pursuant to the Information
Commissioner’s Order in Decision 03/2018. The Department also issued an initial decision on
a separate, but related, PATI request made on 8 May 2018. The Applicant sought an internal
review of both initial decisions.

This Decision finds that the Department failed to decide the Applicant’s requests for an
internal review within the statutory timeframe set forth by the Public Access to Information
(PATI) Act 2010.

Background

1. This Information Commissioner’s Decision is made in the context of ‘failure to decide’ cases
involving two separate, but related, applications for review under Part 6 of the Public
Access to Information (PATI) Act that were received by the Information Commissioner’s
Office on 12 March 2019.

2. This Decision does not address whether a public authority has properly denied access to a
record. Rather, it addresses the basic obligation upon a public authority to respond to a
requester within the statutory timeframes.

3. Relevant dates:

Date Action

23 February The Applicant made a written PATI request to the

2016 Department of Health (PATI No. 341(A)).

30 April 2018 The Information Commissioner issued Decision 03/2018

and ordered the Department of Health to issue a new initial
decision on PATI No. 341(A).

8 May 2018 The Applicant made a new PATI request to the Department
of Health (PATI No. 534). The request asks for records
similar to that responsive to PATI No. 341(A), but for
different time period.
23 July 2018 The Department of Health issued its initial decision on PATI
No. 341(A), in accordance with the Information
Commissioner’s Order.

31 July 2018 The Department of Health issued its initial decision on PATI
No. 534.

28 August The Applicant requested an internal review of both initial

2018 decisions be conducted by the head of the public authority.

20 September The Department of Health extended the timeframe to

2018 respond to the Applicant’s internal review requests.

The Applicant did not receive any internal review decision

within six weeks of the Department of Health’s receipt of
the requests for one, i.e. by 9 October 2018.

10 November The Department of Health extended the timeframe to

2018 respond to the Applicant’s internal review requests.

24 December The Department of Health issued an ‘interim’ decision on

2018 the Applicant’s internal review requests.

12 March The Applicant requested an independent review by the

2019 Information Commissioner.

6 May 2019 The Department of Health was notified in writing that the
Information Commissioner accepted the Applicant’s late
applications. The Department of Health was asked to
comment on the applications.

6 May 2019 The Department of Health issued an internal review

decision on PATI No. 341(A).

10 May 2019 The Information Commissioner received submissions from

the Department of Health. These submissions are
considered below.

23 May 2019 The Department of Health issued an internal review

decision on PATI No. 534.

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Information Commissioner’s analysis and findings

Internal Review Decision

1. Section 43(1) of the PATI Act requires the head of a public authority to conduct an internal
review. Section 43(2) gives the head of the public authority a maximum of six weeks, after
the date of receiving a request for an internal review, to complete the internal review.
Section 43(2) also requires that the head of the authority notify the Applicant of: the
internal review decision, the reasons for the decision, and the Applicant’s right to seek an
independent review by the Information Commissioner.

2. On 28 August 2018, the Applicant sent emails requesting an internal review by the head of
the Department of Health (Department) of its initial decisions on PATI requests nos. 341(A)
and 534. The Applicant did not receive a decision on the internal review requests by
9 October 2018.

3. The Applicant requested an independent review of the Department’s alleged failure to

issue an internal review decision on 12 March 2019. The PATI Act requires a requester to
ask the Information Commissioner to review a public authority’s failure to issue an internal
review decision within six weeks after that internal review decision was due. The
Applicant’s requests for independent review, therefore, were late.

4. The Information Commissioner has the discretion to accept a late application for review
under section 45(2) of the PATI Act. On 6 May 2019, the Information Commissioner
exercised this discretion on the basis that the Applicant had genuine confusion about the
review timeframes in light of the ‘interim’ decision and communications with the
Department. The Department was notified of the late applications and did not object. The
Applicant’s applications were therefore accepted.

5. By letters dated 6 May 2019, the Department was invited by the Information
Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to make submissions on these applications.

6. In its submissions, the Department explained that the internal review was ‘very large due
to the volume of records and required a long time to complete’. It further explained that
its resources are finite and that it was handling both internal review requests concurrently.
The Department asserted that the timeframe allowed in the PATI Act is not sufficient to
complete a request with the magnitude and complexity such as the Applicant’s PATI
request. Furthermore, the timeframe in the PATI Regulations to conduct third party
notifications prohibits completion of a request involving release of personal information
within six weeks.

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7. The Department further explained that it was initially prohibited from releasing the records
and that the authority to do so fell under a different ministry which did not respond to its
request for approval to release. As soon as the relevant legislation was revised and it
secured statutory authority to disclose the records, the Department informed the Applicant
and endeavoured to prepare the disclosure.

8. Having considered the Department’s submissions, the Information Commissioner

acknowledges the challenges a public authority may face when processing a PATI request 1.
The Information Commissioner commends the Department’s intention and efforts to
disclose the responsive records during its handling of the internal review requests.

9. The timeframes set forth in the PATI Act are designed to support the public’s right to access
non-exempt records. For an applicant, the internal review decision, issued in accordance
with section 43(2), provides certainty and triggers the applicant’s right to an independent
review by the Information Commissioner. There is no provision in the PATI Act for ‘interim
decisions’ and such decisions can cause confusion with respect to the process to be
followed by a requester, which may undermine their right to ask for an independent review
by the Information Commissioner.

10. Where a public authority intends to disclose records, but is restricted in its ability to do so,
a public authority should still issue an internal review decision. If circumstances change
following the issuing of the internal review decision, it is always open to the public authority
to disclose the records at a later stage, even if an independent review by the Information
Commissioner has been commenced.

11. It is a matter of fact that the Department did not provide the Applicant with internal review
decisions within the statutory timeframe. The Information Commissioner finds that the
Department failed to comply with section 43(2) of the PATI Act.

12. During the course of this review, the Department issued internal review decisions on PATI
Nos. 341(A) and 543 on 6 May 2019 and 23 May 2019, respectively.

13. The Information Commissioner does not require the Department to take any further action
at this time in relation to the Applicant’s request for an internal review.

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As stated in Decision Notice 11/2019 Department of Child and Family Services, the Information Commissioner is
aware of public authorities’ need of support to respond to PATI requests, and is hopeful that the practice code on
the administration of the Act will be issued by the Minister for the PATI Act as soon as possible.

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Decision

The Information Commissioner finds that the Department failed to comply with Part 5 of the
Public Access to Information (PATI) Act 2010 in responding to the requests for an internal
review made by the Applicant. In particular, the Department failed to issue a decision on the
Applicant’s requests for an internal review within the timeframe set forth in section 43(2) of
the PATI Act.

During the course of this review, the Department issued the responsive internal review
decisions. Consequently, the Information Commissioner does not need to order the
Department to take any further action at this time in respect of this Decision.

Judicial Review

Should the Applicant, the Department, or any aggrieved party wish to seek judicial review
according to section 49 of the PATI Act against this Decision, they have the right to apply to
the Supreme Court for review of this Decision. Any such appeal must be made within six
months of this Decision.

Gitanjali S. Gutierrez
Information Commissioner
10 June 2019

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Information Commissioner for Bermuda
Valerie T. Scott Building
60 Reid Street
Hamilton, HM 12
www.ico.bm
441-294-9181